Memory system having cells of varying sizes

ABSTRACT

In a memory management system, a memory is organized into cells, each cell having one of a plurality of predetermined cell sizes. When a new data chunk of data is received by the memory management system, portions of the data chunk may be stored in cells of the large cell type until the remainder of the data chunk is less than the large cell size. Thereafter, the remainder of the data chunk may be stored in another large cell or a plurality of smaller cells, depending upon its size.

BACKGROUND

[0001] The present invention relates to memory systems in which memory entries are organized into cells and, specifically, to a system employing cells having different sizes.

[0002] Traditionally, memory systems for storing data chunks of varying lengths (e.g. packets, Ethernet frames or fibre channel frames) are organized into cells. The cells typically have a common size to simplify the process by which the cells are allocated and deallocated. The simplest solution would be to define a cell size corresponding to the minimum length of a data chunk that is expected to be received. For example, for Ethernet frames that typically vary from 64-1518 bytes, a memory system may define a cell size to be 64 bytes long and distribute larger frames across multiple cells. Unfortunately, the act of addressing a new cell, which occurs when a data read operation advances from one cell to the next, has its own cost. Therefore, the inefficiency of distributing large data chunks across small cells can result in lowered performance. Alternatively, one might define a cell size to be the largest expected frame size or an intermediate frame size. However, use of cells with such large granularities incurs waste as an allocated cell may be only partially used.

[0003] Based upon these performance disadvantages, the inventor determined that there is a need in the art for a memory using cells of at least two sizes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004]FIG. 1 is a partial block diagram of a processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0005]FIG. 2 is an exemplary memory map according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0006]FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0007]FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating allocation of cells in an Ethernet embodiment of the present invention.

[0008]FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating time to access data in an Ethernet embodiment of the present invention.

[0009]FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating unused space in cells in an Ethernet embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] Embodiments of the present invention provide a memory management system in which a memory is organized into cells, each cell having one of a plurality of predetermined cell sizes. According to the embodiments, when a new data chunk of data is received by the memory management system, portions of the data chunk may be stored in cells of the large cell type until the remainder of the data chunk is less than the large cell size. Thereafter, the remainder of the data chunk may be stored in another large cell or a plurality of smaller cells, depending upon its size.

[0011]FIG. 1 is a partial block diagram of a system 100 in which the embodiments of the present invention find application. The system 100 may include a communication interface 110, a memory manager 120 and a memory 130. The system 100 may be provided in communication with a network 140. The network 140 may communicate data in variably sized data “data chunks.” Various network communication protocols support data chunks of different sizes. For example, Ethernet traffic is conducted in Ethernet “frames” each of 64-1518 bytes in size. Alternatively, fibre channel traffic is conducted in frames each of 24-2136 bytes. Other communication protocols organize bursts of data into other logical units, whether they are called “frames,” “packets,” “datagrams” or “cells.” Herein, these units are called “data chunks” so as to remain independent from any particular communication protocol.

[0012] Within the system 100, the communication interface 110 may receive and decode data chunks delivered to it by the network 140. The communication interface 110 may be a packet communicator, an Ethernet communicator or a fibre channel communicator, depending on the communication network 140 to which the system may communicate. It presents digital data representative of the data chunk to the memory manager 120.

[0013] The memory manager 120 causes the data chunk to be stored in the memory 130. According to an embodiment, the memory manager 120 may organize the memory 130 into a plurality of “cells.” Thus, to store new data chunks in memory 130 or evict old data chunks therefrom, the memory manager 120 may allocate and deallocate portions of memory on a cell-by-cell basis. Data may be stored to and read from entries within the memory 130 one cell at a time.

[0014] According to an embodiment, a variety of cell size types are available. In the simplest embodiment, shown in FIG. 2, a memory 200 may include a first plurality of cells 210.1-210.N of a first cell size (a large cell) and a second plurality of cells 220.1-220.M of a second cell size (a small cell). Each of the cell types may cover a plurality of entries within the memory 200. By way of example, individual entries within the memory 200 may be 16 bytes in size, small cells (say 220.1) may be 128 bytes in size and large cells (say, 210.1) may be 512 bytes in size. In such an embodiment, a small cell 220.1 would cover eight memory entries and a large cell would cover 32 memory entries. Of course, the sizes of individual memory entries, small cells and large cells may be designed to suit a specific application for which the present embodiments may be used.

[0015]FIG. 3 illustrates a memory allocation method 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the method, when a new data chunk is received, the method determines whether the data chunk (or remainder thereof) is larger than the size of the large cell (box 1010). If so, the method allocates and stores a portion of the data chunk in one of the large cells (box 1020) and returns to box 1010. Eventually, a remaining portion of the data chunk will not be larger than the size of the large cell size. When this occurs, the method 1000 determines whether the size of the remaining data chunk is greater than a difference between the large cell size and the small cell size (box 1030). If so, another large cell may be allocated for storage of the remaining data (box 1040). If not, the remaining data may be stored in a succession of small cells until exhausted (box 1050). Small cells may be allocated and used for this purpose.

[0016] Simulation studies suggest that partitioning of a memory 200 into a collection of large and small cells can provide for high effective data transfer and limited waste relative to other systems having cell of uniform size. FIGS. 4-6 illustrate several graphs illustrating response of the present embodiments in an Ethernet context and comparing performance of the present embodiments to other systems having only large cells or only small cells.

[0017]FIG. 4 illustrates allocation of cells in the Ethernet example where a system may employ large cells of 512 bytes and small bytes of 128 bytes each. As discussed, Ethernet frames may vary from 64 bytes to 1518 bytes in size. FIG. 4 illustrates a staggered progression where, for received Ethernet frames that are small (less than or equal to 384 bytes) only small cells are allocated. For larger received Ethernet frames, large cells and possibly small cells may be allocated.

[0018]FIG. 5 is a graph 300 comparing access times of the present embodiment against access times of “large size only” and “small size only” systems applied to an exemplary DRAM memory system. In such a memory system, addressing overhead for any cell, whether large or small, is assumed to consumed 6 clock cycles. Thereafter, data may be read from the cells 16 bytes per clock cycle. Graph 310 demonstrates access times that may be incurred to read data chunks in a system employing large and small cells (512 and 128 bytes respectively) according to the foregoing embodiments. Graph 320 demonstrates access times that would be incurred in a “small cell only” system, where memory cells are allocated only in 128 byte increments. Graph 330 demonstrates access times that would be incurred in “large cell only” system, where memory cells are allocated only in 512 byte increments. As can be seen, the performance of the dual sized memory system (graph 310) retrieves data at the same rate as the large cell only system about 50% of the time. On average, the dual-sized embodiment consumes only 7.6% more time to access than large cell only systems. When averaged across all possible data chunk lengths in an Ethernet system, a dual-sized retrieves data at an average of 66.88 clocks per data chunk whereas a large size only system retrieves data at an average of 62.16 clocks per data chunk. Thus, the access performance of the foregoing embodiments approximates that of the large size only systems.

[0019] The dual-sized embodiment outperforms small cell only systems for all data chunks having a length greater than or equal to 384 bytes. When averaged across all possible data chunk lengths in an Ethernet system, the small cell only system retrieves data at an average of 90.04 clocks per data chunk. The dual-sized embodiment can retrieve data with approximately 25% more efficiency than the small cell only system.

[0020]FIG. 6 is a graph 400 comparing the amount of cell waste in a system using dual-sized cells according to the foregoing embodiments and systems having either large cells only or small cells only. Graph 410 illustrates the amount of waste in the dual-sized embodiment as described above. Graph 420 illustrates waste in a small cell only system. These graphs are identical for all data chunk sizes. Thus, in the exemplary embodiment described above, the waste in the dual sized embodiment is identical to a small cell only system.

[0021] Graph 430 illustrates waste in a large cell only system. For data chunk sizes between 64 and 128 bytes, the large cell system is particularly inefficient. Between 75-90% of the large cell is wasted when storing such small data chunks. Approximately 26% more memory area is utilized for data in a dual cell size system of the foregoing embodiments than would be utilized a large cell only system.

[0022] When one compares FIGS. 5 and 6, it becomes clear that a dual-sized system effectively achieves the best characteristics of both systems. A dual-sized system enjoys relatives fast access times that characterize large cell system and the smaller waste that make small cell systems advantageous. No known cell architecture achieves these advantages.

[0023] The graphs presented in FIGS. 4-6 illustrate operation of the foregoing embodiments of the invention in connection with a specific system, one tailored for use with Ethernet frames. As noted, the principles of the present invention have broader application and may be used with other systems, such a fibre channel system, having different frame sizes. Accordingly, it is expected that a memory system may employ large cells having sizes that vary from the 512 byte length identified above and small cells having sizes that vary from the 128 byte length identified above.

[0024] According to an embodiment, the number of small cells and large cells employed may vary based on the application for which the embodiments are to be used. For an Ethernet embodiment, it may be useful to provide small cells and large cells so that the total amount of memory space occupied by the small cells is equal to the total amount of memory space occupied by the large cells (a four-to-one ratio between small and large cells, approximately). Alternatively, it may be advantageous to distribute the cells according to a ratio of the relative sizes of the cells. In an embodiment where a large cell is eight times larger than a small cell, for example, a memory system may employ eight times as many small cells as large cells.

[0025] Several embodiments of the present invention are specifically illustrated and described herein. However, it will be appreciated that modifications and variations of the present invention are covered by the above teachings and within the purview of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and intended scope of the invention. 

We claim:
 1. A memory system, comprising a memory having been organized into a plurality of a cells of a first cell size and a second plurality of cells of a larger cell size.
 2. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the memory is populated by a plurality of memory entries, cells of the first cell size including a first number of the memory entries and cells of the second cells size including a second number of the memory entries.
 3. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the large and small cells are provided in sufficient number to divide a total memory area evenly among the large and small cells.
 4. The memory system of claim 1, wherein the relative number of large and small cells is determined by relative sizes thereof.
 5. The memory system of claim 1, further comprising a memory manager coupled to the memory.
 6. A method for allocating a data chunk to memory, comprising: allocating portions of the data chunk to one or more large cells until an unallocated portion of the data chunk is smaller than a large cell size, and if the unallocated portion is larger than a difference between the large cell size and a small cell size, allocating the unallocated portion to another large cell.
 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising, when the unallocated portion is not larger than the difference between the large cell size and the small cell size, allocating the unallocated portion to small cells until exhausted.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the large cell size is four times the small cell size.
 9. The method of claim 6, further comprising storing the data chunk in the allocated cells.
 10. The method of claim 6, wherein for data chunks that are Ethernet frames, the large cell size is 512 bytes and the small cell size is 128 bytes.
 11. The method of claim 6, wherein for data chunks that are fibre channel frames, the large cell size is 512 bytes and the small cell size is 128 bytes.
 12. A method for allocating a data chunk to memory, comprising: iteratively, until an unallocated portion of the data chunk is smaller than a large cell size: determining whether an unallocated portion of the data chunk is larger than a large cell size, storing a portion of the data chunk to a large cell in memory; if the unallocated portion is larger than a difference between the large cell size and a small cell size, storing the unallocated portion to another large cell; and allocating the unallocated portion to small cells.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the large cell size is four times the small cell size.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein for data chunks that are Ethernet frames, the large cell size is 512 bytes and the small cell size is 128 bytes.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein for data chunks that are fibre channel frames, the large cell size is 512 bytes and the small cell size is 128 bytes.
 16. A memory system comprising: a communication interface adapted to communicate data chunks, a memory, and a memory manager, coupled to the communication interface and the memory, the memory manager to: allocate portions of a newly received data chunk to one or more large cells until an unallocated portion thereof is smaller than a large cell size, if the unallocated portion is larger than a difference between the large cell size and a small cell size, allocate the unallocated portion to another large cell, and store the data chunk to the allocated cells.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the memory manager, when the unallocated portion is not larger than the difference between the large cell size and the small cell size, is to store the unallocated portion to small cells until exhausted.
 18. The system of claim 16, wherein the large cell size is four times the small cell size.
 19. The system of claim 16, wherein the communication interface is an Ethernet communicator and the large cell size is 512 bytes and the small cell size is 128 bytes.
 20. The system of claim 16, wherein the communication interface is a fibre channel communicator.
 21. The system of claim 16, wherein the communication interface is a packet communicator. 